Carl Sagan left a big void when he died in 1996. His eloquence, his passion for explaining science to a wider public, made him a major cultural figure in late 20th century America. Now a new voice is emerging. Neil deGrasse Tyson, like Sagan, is an astronomer and physicist with a remarkable gift for speaking about the beauty and importance of science. Like Sagan, he hosts a PBS television program (NOVA ScienceNOW) and appears frequently on talk shows. The passing of the torch will become obvious next year, when Tyson hosts the sequel to Sagan’s ground-breaking 1980 TV series, Cosmos. Tyson’s connection to Sagan actually began at a very young age. In the video clip above, Tyson tells Ted Simons of the regional PBS show Arizona Horizonthe story of a remarkable act of generosity by Sagan when Tyson was only a teenager. If it whets your appetite, be sure to watch the complete 25-minute interview below. And don’t miss our very popular related post: Neil deGrasse Tyson Lists 8 (Free) Books Every Intelligent Person Should Read.

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Open Culture editor Dan Colman scours the web for the best educational media. He finds the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & movies you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.